Now advertising - Administrator, Ensemble Offspring
Ensemble Offspring, one of Australia’s most innovative and dynamic contemporary music ensembles, is seeking a part-time Administrator to assist in its operations. This flexible, two-day per week position provides assistance to the Artistic Directors and board in a range of areas. The potential for a greater involvement with the company exists for the right candidate.
The successful applicant will demonstrate versatility, the ability to set work priorities and handle a diverse range of office duties. Ideally we are seeking a candidate with experience in general administrative and office skills and an interest in contemporary classical music as well as the ability to get on well with the artistic team. Marketing experience is a plus.
The salary package is between $20,000-30,000 pa commensurate with experience and includes 9% superannuation.
All enquiries in relation to this position should be directed to Claire Edwardes (Co-Artistic Director, Ensemble Offspring).
Only applications responding in writing to the selection criteria will be considered. Replies will only be provided to applicants who are successful in gaining an interview. Applications should be sent to:
2a Ivanhoe Rd, Croydon 2132 NSW
or emailed to claire@ensembleoffspring.com
by close of business Friday 11 November.
ADMINISTRATOR - ROLE DESCRIPTION
Role title: Administrator
Reporting to: Artistic Directors
Location: Sydney
Working Conditions: Two days per week, flexible but preferably Thur/Fri, 12 month contract from 10 January 2012.
SCOPE
This flexible, part time position provides a broad range of assistance to the Artistic Directors and board of Ensemble Offspring. It involves a range of office administration duties and depending on the experience of the successful candidate may involve some fund-raising on a commission basis (to be individually negotiated). There is potential for the role to grow over time with the right person.
DUTIES/ACTIVITIES
Board and governance
1. Assist in the smooth running of the board with a range of tasks including (but not limited to):
-
Co-ordinating board meeting dates and contributing to and distributing relevant board papers and reports;
-
Facilitating the implementation of strategic planning undertaken by the board;
-
Ensuring regular reporting against KPIs is provided to the board by yourself (administrative), the bookkeeper (financial) and the Artistic Directors (artistic);
2. Undertake the administrative aspects of submissions, grant applications and acquittals (relevant information will be provided by the Artistic Directors and bookkeeper).
3. Work with the Creative Committee to implement the Noisy Egg Creation Fund (for all fund-raising, sponsorship and philanthropic activities).
4. At the direction of the board, ensure appropriate risk management plans and compliance requirements are in place for all EO activities (Workers Compensation, superannuation etc.)
Concert planning and implementation
5. Undertake administrative tasks associated with concerts including (but not limited to):
-
Negotiating bookings, fees and contracts (after concert dates have been confirmed by Artistic Directors) with all presenters including venues and festivals;
-
Negotiating and liaising with ticketing, marketing & production teams (including external lighting and sound companies) of venues, festivals and other presenters;
-
In concert weeks, managing communications with performers and venues;
-
Managing the complimentary and VIP tickets lists for concerts;
-
Attending all concerts and managing the merchandise desk.
6. In collaboration with the PR Consultant (Debbie McInnes), assist with the publicity and marketing of Ensemble Offspring, including (but not limited to):
-
Updating the website monthly and collating the newsletter (approx. 6 per year) and maintaining and developing distribution database;
-
Liaising with the board on the development and execution of the marketing strategy;
-
Ensuring EO concerts are promoted and advertised by organising the production and distribution of flyers and posters to promote performances;
-
Where possible, seeking out and exploiting promotional opportunities, including recruiting previewers and reviewers;
-
Printing and generating participant surveys for performances.
7. Booking performers' flights, ground transport and accommodation for tours in a timely fashion with the best available prices.
8. Preparing and administering contracts and agreements with musicians, sponsors, collaborators and presenters.
Archives/Library and Record Maintenance
9. For archival purposes, collate annual documentation from acquittals plus programs, flyers, posters, articles, blogs and reviews after each project. The assistance of an intern may be available for some of this task.
10. Manage the EO music library (hire and purchase of parts for each new season) and distribute to musicians.
SELECTION CRITERIA
All applicants are asked to respond in a separate document to the following selection criteria (max 2 pages) as well as submit a curriculum vitae that demonstrates professional experience and any academic qualifications.
Essential
-
An understanding and enthusiasm for the small-to-medium arts sector, particularly in the area of contemporary music
-
Some experience in marketing
-
Excellent written and face-to-face communication skills and the ability to work with artistic personnel
-
Strong planning, organisational and computer skills
-
High level attention to detail and the ability to prioritise and manage time effectively
-
A positive demeanour and a willingness to bring a professional outlook to the position
-
An ability to demonstrate initiative and undertake creative problem-solving.
Desirable
-
Successful experience in writing grant submissions.
-
Experience working within a growing organisation.
-
Website, IT and design skills.
-
Successful experience in fund-raising.
The salary package is between $20,000-30,000 pa commensurate with experience and includes 9% superannuation.
All enquiries in relation to this position should be directed to Claire Edwardes (Co-Artistic Director, Ensemble Offspring).
Only applications responding in writing to the selection criteria will be considered. Replies will only be provided to applicants who are successful in gaining an interview. Applications should be sent to:
2a Ivanhoe Rd, Croydon 2132 NSW or emailed to claire@ensembleoffspring.com
by close of business Friday 11 November.
Now advertising - Administrator, Ensemble Offspring
Ensemble Offspring, one of Australia’s most innovative and dynamic contemporary music ensembles, is seeking a part-time Administrator to assist in its operations. This flexible, two-day per week position provides assistance to the Artistic Directors and board in a range of areas. The potential for a greater involvement with the company exists for the right candidate.
The successful applicant will demonstrate versatility, the ability to set work priorities and handle a diverse range of office duties. Ideally we are seeking a candidate with experience in general administrative and office skills and an interest in contemporary classical music as well as the ability to get on well with the artistic team. Marketing experience is a plus.
The salary package is between $20,000-30,000 pa commensurate with experience and includes 9% superannuation.
All enquiries in relation to this position should be directed to Claire Edwardes (Co-Artistic Director, Ensemble Offspring).
Only applications responding in writing to the selection criteria will be considered. Replies will only be provided to applicants who are successful in gaining an interview. Applications should be sent to:
2a Ivanhoe Rd, Croydon 2132 NSW
or emailed to claire@ensembleoffspring.com
by close of business Friday 11 November.
ADMINISTRATOR - ROLE DESCRIPTION
Now advertising - Administrator, Ensemble Offspring
Ensemble Offspring, one of Australia’s most innovative and dynamic contemporary music ensembles, is seeking a part-time Administrator to assist in its operations. This flexible, two-day per week position provides assistance to the Artistic Directors and board in a range of areas. The potential for a greater involvement with the company exists for the right candidate.
The successful applicant will demonstrate versatility, the ability to set work priorities and handle a diverse range of office duties. Ideally we are seeking a candidate with experience in general administrative and office skills and an interest in contemporary classical music as well as the ability to get on well with the artistic team. Marketing experience is a plus.
The salary package is between $20,000-30,000 pa commensurate with experience and includes 9% superannuation.
All enquiries in relation to this position should be directed to Claire Edwardes (Co-Artistic Director, Ensemble Offspring).
Only applications responding in writing to the selection criteria will be considered. Replies will only be provided to applicants who are successful in gaining an interview. Applications should be sent to:
2a Ivanhoe Rd, Croydon 2132 NSW
or emailed to claire@ensembleoffspring.com
by close of business Friday 11 November.
ADMINISTRATOR - ROLE DESCRIPTION
Role title: Administrator
Reporting to: Artistic DirectorsLocation: Sydney
Working Conditions: Two days per week, flexible but preferably Thur/Fri, 12 month contract from 10 January 2012.
SCOPE
This flexible, part time position provides a broad range of assistance to the Artistic Directors and board of Ensemble Offspring. It involves a range of office administration duties and depending on the experience of the successful candidate may involve some fund-raising on a commission basis (to be individually negotiated). There is potential for the role to grow over time with the right person.
DUTIES/ACTIVITIES
Board and governance
1. Assist in the smooth running of the board with a range of tasks including (but not limited to):
-
Co-ordinating board meeting dates and contributing to and distributing relevant board papers and reports;
-
Facilitating the implementation of strategic planning undertaken by the board;
-
Ensuring regular reporting against KPIs is provided to the board by yourself (administrative), the bookkeeper (financial) and the Artistic Directors (artistic);
2. Undertake the administrative aspects of submissions, grant applications and acquittals (relevant information will be provided by the Artistic Directors and bookkeeper).
3. Work with the Creative Committee to implement the Noisy Egg Creation Fund (for all fund-raising, sponsorship and philanthropic activities).
Concert planning and implementation
5. Undertake administrative tasks associated with concerts including (but not limited to):-
Negotiating bookings, fees and contracts (after concert dates have been confirmed by Artistic Directors) with all presenters including venues and festivals;
-
Negotiating and liaising with ticketing, marketing & production teams (including external lighting and sound companies) of venues, festivals and other presenters;
-
In concert weeks, managing communications with performers and venues;
-
Managing the complimentary and VIP tickets lists for concerts;
-
Attending all concerts and managing the merchandise desk.
6. In collaboration with the PR Consultant (Debbie McInnes), assist with the publicity and marketing of Ensemble Offspring, including (but not limited to):
-
Updating the website monthly and collating the newsletter (approx. 6 per year) and maintaining and developing distribution database;
-
Liaising with the board on the development and execution of the marketing strategy;
-
Ensuring EO concerts are promoted and advertised by organising the production and distribution of flyers and posters to promote performances;
-
Where possible, seeking out and exploiting promotional opportunities, including recruiting previewers and reviewers;
-
Printing and generating participant surveys for performances.
7. Booking performers' flights, ground transport and accommodation for tours in a timely fashion with the best available prices.
Archives/Library and Record Maintenance
9. For archival purposes, collate annual documentation from acquittals plus programs, flyers, posters, articles, blogs and reviews after each project. The assistance of an intern may be available for some of this task.
10. Manage the EO music library (hire and purchase of parts for each new season) and distribute to musicians.
SELECTION CRITERIA
All applicants are asked to respond in a separate document to the following selection criteria (max 2 pages) as well as submit a curriculum vitae that demonstrates professional experience and any academic qualifications.
Essential
-
An understanding and enthusiasm for the small-to-medium arts sector, particularly in the area of contemporary music
-
Some experience in marketing
-
Excellent written and face-to-face communication skills and the ability to work with artistic personnel
-
Strong planning, organisational and computer skills
-
High level attention to detail and the ability to prioritise and manage time effectively
-
A positive demeanour and a willingness to bring a professional outlook to the position
-
An ability to demonstrate initiative and undertake creative problem-solving.
-
Successful experience in writing grant submissions.
-
Experience working within a growing organisation.
-
Website, IT and design skills.
-
Successful experience in fund-raising.
The salary package is between $20,000-30,000 pa commensurate with experience and includes 9% superannuation.
All enquiries in relation to this position should be directed to Claire Edwardes (Co-Artistic Director, Ensemble Offspring).
Only applications responding in writing to the selection criteria will be considered. Replies will only be provided to applicants who are successful in gaining an interview. Applications should be sent to:
2a Ivanhoe Rd, Croydon 2132 NSW or emailed to claire@ensembleoffspring.comby close of business Friday 11 November.
Bargain Garden
Fractured Again DVD
Ensemble Offspring's multimedia production Fractured Again is now available on DVD.
Featuring musical instruments of glass, Fractured Again was premiered as part of the 2010 Sydney Festival. It subsequently went on to be shortlisted for both the 'Instrumental Work of the Year' and 'Award for Excellence in Experimental Music' at the 2011 Art Music Awards and went on international tour with productions in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macau.
The striking audio-visual experience can now be experienced in a limited-edition DVD. Conceived by composer Damien Ricketson, the sounds of musical instruments made of glass (by Elaine Miles), the infamous glass harmonica, clarinet, violin, vibraphone and electronic music (by Pimmon) has been fused with stunning video-art created especially by Andrew Wholley.
Only 50 copies of the DVD, featuring unique individually engraved glass packaging, have been made.
Order online now from Curious Noise
Professor Bad Trip Technicolour Reviews
Presented at Bay 20 CarriageWorks, Professor Bad Trip was a hit with audience and press alike - as a bonus to the hugely memorable evening, Ensemble Offspring was given one of the most positive reviews ever received, in The Australian.
"Played complacently, these ferociously difficult works would probably have sounded excruciating. Under Roland Peelman's focused direction, Ensemble Offspring's razor-sharp precision, textural clarity, incisive attack and thrilling virtuosity created one of the most stimulating and challenging concerts I've heard in recent years." Murray Black, The Australian.
Read the full review here
"As I left with an uncanny desire to bake spiced cookies, I thanked these musicians for creating a space for this music to be heard, inhaled, versed, warped, wet, born, aired...Who needs drugs anyway? Just as Ensemble Offspring had assured us in its pre-concert hype, I've been changed by this music. New music isn't what it used to be." Felicity Clark, RealTime.
Read the full review here
Glass act in China
by Claire Edwardes
Having been back in Australia for over a fortnight now, the whole Ensemble-Offspring-China-experience almost feels like a dream - a distant memory of glass harmonica pampering, sticky humidity, cold Tsing Tao beer and Chinese kitsch.
Arriving a day later than the rest of the team, I was greeted on my way from Shanghai airport by balmy weather, a trippy bridge sparkling in all the colours of the rainbow along with the dazzle of the Bund from afar - I knew I was in for a feast during the coming 10 days.
The Fractured Again crew comprised Damien Ricketson (general production guru and composer), Jason Noble (clarinettist and glass harmonica specialist), James Cuddeford (glorified glass panel hitter and violinist) and Andrew Wholley (video artist and glass harmonica fixerer extraordinaire). We were to be presenting Damien Ricketson's multimedia extravaganza on glass, Fractured Again, which we premiered at the 2010 Sydney Festival. This was only the second international tour our innovative little arts company had embarked on in its history.
Based on reports of a damaged glass harmonica being held in quarantine, I was slightly concerned, as I stepped into the hotel lobby, that Damien would announce to me that the tour had been called off. Rather, it was a huge relief to be greeted by his bubbling enthusiasm and excitement - tales of the fantastically supportive staff at SHMOG (Shanghai Museum of Glass), that the new glass panels sounded amazing and the glass harmonica only had two broken bowls, which had been successfully removed so that we wouldn't incur an injury whilst playing it!
The brand new SHMOG is almost an hour away from the centre of Shanghai via metro - the museum incorporated our two presentations of Fractured Again into a sort of open night at the museum, and it worked a treat. There were 700 people along with the Chinese TV over the two nights (literally bulging out of the hall itself), and the audience revelled in the spectacle and uniqueness of the event. Cindy and Carmen and their fantastic support teams at SHMOG made the seemingly impossible happen in Shanghai - it went without a hitch, and we were almost in shock, on leaving, at how well it had all gone.
Then on to Hong Kong where we were guests of the HellHOT! New Music Festival and its artistic directors, William Lane (an Australian viola player now resident in Hong Kong) and Samson Young (a Hong Kong-based composer). We each presented solo works by Xenakis, Reich and Carter, alongside a concert version of Fractured Again at Hong Kong University. Once again the show was sold out. We could put it down to the fact that Hong Kong is now James Cuddeford's home town as concert master of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, but we like to think it was due to the international reputation that preceded us...
Last stop, Macau. My ex-percussion student Andrew Chan was our host on this tiny little island. He had been back at home for just a few months and he told us how, in the time he had been in Sydney, they had reclaimed land and built a plethora of new casinos on it. Talk about sensory overload: those shimmery lights on the first night in Shanghai were nothing compared with the tacky grandeur of the casino night life in Macau. But our concert was at a venue somewhere altogether more earthy and real worldly - the Ox Warehouse - a funky independent arts space on the rim of the urban landscape in what was indeed once a genuine ox stable.
The venue was packed and the lack of air conditioning was a challenge for both performers and audience alike, but there was something special in the air on this, the last night of our tour. The concert went brilliantly and it was a fitting end to one of the most memorable tours I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of.
Reproduced from the Australian Music Centre's Resonate Magazine [30/08/11]
View our china tour photo gallery on Facebook
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2011 Program Details
Why Patterns? [minimal music: shimmering tones and driving rhythms]
12-15 Feb Merge Festival, Darwin | 6pm 20 Feb The Street Theatre, Canberra | 8pm 26 Feb Campbelltown Arts Centre
Works by Feldman, Reich, Johnson, Polansky, Lely and Moore
Performers | Zubin Kanga Piano | Lamorna Nightingale Flutes | Jason Noble Clarinet | Claire Edwardes Percussion
Treatise [EO meets the Splinter Orchestra and the NOWnow]
8pm 5 May Red Rattler Theatre Marrickville
Works by Cornelius Cardew, Splinter Orchestra and Ensemble Offspring
Performers | Claire Edwardes Percussion | Diana Springford Clarinets |Lamorna Nightingale Flutes | Veronique Serret Violin
Professor Bad Trip [music that will blow your mind]
8pm 18 June CarriageWorks, Redfern
Works by Romitelli, Shlomowitz and Steen-Anderson
Performers | Roland Peelman Conductor | Sound Bob Scott | Veronique Serret & James Cuddeford Violin | James Eccles Viola | Geoffrey Gartner Cello | Zoe Hauptmann Double Bass | Zubin Kanga Piano | Geoffrey Morris Guitar | Lamorna Nightingale Flute | Jason Noble Clarinet | Ngaire de Korte Oboe | Rob Llewellyn Bassoon | Claire Edwardes Percussion | Melanie McLoughlan Trumpets
Partch’s Bastards [brand new instruments and brand new works]
8pm 2 Sept The Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House| 3pm, Sun 4 Sept Riverina Conservatorium of Music, Wagga Wagga
Works by Cole, Narushimi, Grady, Ricketson, Part and Glass
Performers | James Cuddeford Tarhui/Violin | Jason Noble & Diana Springford: Gidgee Clarini/Clarinet | Claire Edwardes Percussion
| plus two touring shows and a theatre collaboration, the details of which are still to be locked in | Fractured Again July China Tour | Double Sextet at the Brisbane Festival in September | Bargain Garden presented by Theatre Kantanka at the Performance Space in November |
2010 Sounds Absurd!
Sounds Absurd explores the theatrics of music with an absurd program that is sure to challenge and amuse. In collaboration with physical theatre performer and director, Carlos Gomes, Sounds Absurd features music by the recently departed Mauricio Kagel; a new work by Australia's own Kagel expert Moya Henderson, and Richard Ayres' 34b which includes a secret waltz to be performed in countries or at times when dancing is forbidden. From painful body slapping to upside-down cellos in drag, join us as we take the theatrics of music to the extreme.Ensemble Offspring is joined by actor Katia Molino and director Carlos Gomes of Theatre Kantanka in an absurd one-off staged event that is as much physical as it is musical. Showcasing music from the irreverent trouble-maker of the avant garde, Mauricio Kagel, cellists Geoffrey Gartner and John Addison face off in a sonic contest adjudicated by percussionist Claire Edwardes in Match, while clarinetist Jason Noble renders a unique spectacle in an original version of Atem. From painful body slapping to upside-down cellos in drag, join us as we take the theatrics of music to the extreme in an absurd program that is sure to challenge and amuse.
When: Tuesday November 30, 2010 8:00pm
Where: CarriageWorks, Eveleigh, NSW
PROGRAM
Thierry de Mey - Musique de Tables (table trio) 7'
Vinko Globokar - ?Corporel (body percussion solo) 9'
Matthew Shlomowitz - Letter Piece (clarinet & actor) 6'
Moya Henderson - New Work (2 cello's & actor) 10'
Mauricio Kagel - Atem (for one wind player) (7')
Stephen Stanfield - Splinter (cello solo) 7'
Jude Weirmeir - I wish you all Joy of the Worm (cello solo) 6'
PERFORMERS
Carlos Gomes - Director, Katia Molino - Actor
Claire Edwardes - Percussion, Bree van Reyk - Percussion
Geoffrey Gartner - Cello, John Addison - Cello, Jason Noble - Clarinet
2010 Ross Edwards: Composer in Focus - Penrith
Ross Edwards, our 2010 Composer-in-Focus, will be in person at ‘the Joan' for this special education event, with many of his most well-known pieces including White Cockatoo Spirit Dance, Marimba Dances and Water Spirit Song being performed.Ross Edwards, our 2010 Composer-in-Focus, will be in person at ‘the Joan' for this special education event, with many of his most well-known pieces, including White Cockatoo Spirit Dance, Marimba Dances and Water Spirit Song, being performed by the acclaimed ‘Ensemble Offspring'.
As well as the concert itself, your students have the opportunity to be tutored by the man himself in an accompanying composition workshop.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND TO PARTICIPATE IN WORKSHOP:
Contact Valda Silvy (02) 4723 7604 or vsilvy@jspac.com.au
TO BOOK TICKETS FOR 21 OCTOBER 11am OR TO OBSERVE WORKSHOP
Simply phone our Box Office on (02) 4723 7600
Where: Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith
When: October 23, 8pm.
PROGRAM (all works by Ross Edwards)
Binyang (clarinet & percussion)
Laikan II, III (flute, clarinet, marimba, violin, cello)
Marimba Dances
More Marimba Dances
Ecstatic Dance (flute & clarinet)
Nura - Earth Dance (flute & piano)
Water Spirit Song (cello solo)
Piano Trio I
White Cockatoo Spirit Dance (violin solo)
PERFORMERS
Flute - Lamorna Nightingale, Clarinet - Jason Noble, Percussion - Claire Edwardes
Piano - Bernadette Balkus, Violin - Maria Lindsay, Cello - Geoffrey Gartner
Thirteen Colours
Treize couleurs du soleil couchant by the French composer Tristan Murail is a beautiful sonic metaphor for the setting sun. Like watching a sunset, the work imperceptibly draws the listener through slowly transforming colours of seemingly infinite depth and subtlety. Murail, like Messiaen and Debussy before him, is part of a legacy of French music that displays a refined sensibility for colour. Together with compatriot Gérard Grisey (whose monumental Talea is featured in the concert), he is credited with establishing an entirely new school of composition called ‘spectral music'. Just as light can be broken into a spectrum of colours, so too a rich sound can be broken into a kaleidoscope of microscopic frequencies.
Continuing the spectral theme are works by Kaija Saariaho, one of the most renowned European composers of her generation, Giacinto Scelsi, Claude Vivier and a world premiere by Australian composer and violinist James Cuddeford. Given the spectral movements' vast influence in contemporary music world wide, this seminal repertoire is seldom heard in Australia. Ensemble Offspring provides a rare opportunity to hear this unique and engaging music.
NB: The Canberra concert scheduled for August 21 has been CANCELLED due to the election.
8:30pm 27th August, ABC Studios, Adelaide
EVENT DETAILS
Where: Soundstream New Music Festival, ABC Studios, Adelaide
When: August 27 2010, 8:30pm.
PROGRAM
Tristan Murail: Treize couleurs du soleil couchant (1978)
Claude Vivier: Piece pour violon et clarinette
James Cuddeford: New work
Giacinto
Scelsi: Ko Lho
Kaija
Saariaho: Cendres
Gérard Grisey: Talea (1986)
PERFORMERS
Roland Peelman: conductor,
Lamorna Nightingale: flute
Jason Noble: clarinet,
Clemens Leske: piano
Anna McMichael: violin,
Geoffrey Gartner: cello
Sizzle 3
WARM UP YOUR WINTER WITH MUSIC, ARTS & BOWLS
avant-garde meets folk meets electronica meets jazz meets performance art meets dance... coming to your local bowlo ....
Sizzle was conceived by Ensemble Offspring as an alternative musical event for Sydney in winter - a way of getting contemporary classical music off the podium and into people's Sunday arvos. A relaxed and casual affair including food, drinks and bowls, each afternoon is curated by an Ensemble Offspring member, reflecting their unique personal tastes and varied collaborative project. Not your run-of-the-mill classical violinist, Veronique Serret curates our August Sizzle at Camperdown Bowling Club featuring The Noise Ensemble, Acutal Russian Brides, some fluxus inspired perplexity, a visual artist and DJ as well as yours truly, Ensemble Offspring.
EVENT DETAILS
Where: Camperdown Bowling Club, Mallet St, Camperdown
When: Sunday 1 August, 2010, 4-7pm.
Tix at the door $15/$10
PROGRAM
Set 1
Barbeler - Confession 2 (Piccolo Solo - Lamorna Nightinale)
Scelsi - Ko Lho (Jason Noble & Lamorna Nightingale)
The Noise Trio (Veronique Serret, James Eccles, Ollie Miller)
INTERVAL - BOWLING
Set 2
Violin Folk Tune - Veronique Serret
Bran Tart Merger (Geoff Gartner & Adrian Bertram)
Actual Russian Brides (Elle Knox)
INTERVAL - BINGO
Set 3
Keyboard solo - Zubin Kanga
Kay/Reaston/Cameron Effect
Sizzle 2
WARM UP YOUR WINTER WITH MUSIC, ARTS & BOWLS
avant-garde meets folk meets electronica meets jazz meets performance art meets dance... coming to your local bowlo ....
The first Sizzle at Waverley Bowling Club was curated by our clarinetist Jason Noble and it was a hug e hit. Some highlights were the line up of 11 clarinettists performing Steve Reich's classic "New York Counterpoint" live (stunning) and dancers Kip and Linda Gamblin dancing and playing guitar simultaneously!
Percussionist and drummer Bree van Reyk curates our July Sizzle at Petersham with a presentation of John Cage's Lecture on Commitment, featuring a collection of Sydney musicians and visual/performance artists... Agatha Gothe-Snape, Holly Throsby, Timothy Constable, Brian Fuata, Bob
Scott, Ensemble Offspring and more. Includes massed minimal music by Louis Andriessen, Terry Riley and Mr Cage himself.
NB: come early to squeeze in a sizzling round of lawn bowls!
EVENT DETAILS
Where: Petersham Bowling Club, 77 Brighton St, Petersham
When: Sunday 18 July, 2010, 4-7pm.
Tix at the door $15/$10
PROGRAM
Set 1
Zoe and the Buttercups (Zoe, Evan, Aaron)
Workers Union by Louis Andriessen performed by Ensemble Offspring (Jason, Lamorna, Claire, Zubin, Bree), Zoe, Evan, Lucian, Danny
Set 2
Duet with Blindfold by Bree van Reyk performed by Timothy & Bree
Holly Throsby (with Jens and Bree special guests)
Newport Mix by John Cage performed by Bob Scott
Set 3
In C by Terry Riley performed by Ensemble Offspring, Zoe, Evan, Lucian, Danny, Holly, Jens, Arne, Stefan, Julia.
What is world music?
Lecture and concert at the Con Friday 23 April.
6 pm. Ensemble Offspring and Riley Lee (Shakuhachi) ‘The Oriental Other', Recital Hall West.
Ensemble Offspring will present three contemporary works that explore Western art music's representation of its Oriental other: based primarily in Europe, but of partial Chinese heritage, Tona Scherchen-Hsiao's suite, Yi, is one of her only works to tangibly recall the folk music of her years spent with her mother in China; written especially for Ensemble Offspring, Bruce Crossman's Not Broken Bruised Reed aspires to capture the artistry of calligraphic gesture in sound; the University's own Anne Boyd freely acknowledges her debt to Asia in her conception of music as meditation.
Ensemble Offspring
Claire Edwardes, percussion; Timothy Constable, percussion; Anna McMichael, violin; Zubin Kanga, piano
4pm. Lecture: ‘What is world music: Whose world and whose music?'
Lecture by Keith Howard, Associate Dean, Research, and Professor, at the SCM.
Music is a species-specific attribute of man: every human group has music. But,with increasing globalization, it is clear that many of the musics of the world are struggling for survival. Today, the genre of ‘world music' markets indigenous traditions less than mediated mixes of the exotic and the familiar that are commodified and commercialised by a multi-national industry. Whose music is this?
Keith Howard has written or edited 16 books and more than 100 articles on music and culture in Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Siberia and Zimbabwe.
New Ensemble Offspring CD Springtime
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Ensemble Offspring's dedication to the presentation of new work is summed up in their latest release Springtime. The all-premiere collection of works were commissioned by or written for Ensemble Offspring and sparkles with the energy and vitality that characterise its live performances.
The CD's namesake, Springtime, was written by renowned English composer Michael Finnissy as a wedding gift for Ensemble Offspring's co-founder Matthew Shlomowitz whose work Slow Flipping Harmony is also featured on the disc. Finnissy and Shlomowitz's work, together with Same Steps by Artistic Director Damien Ricketson, reappraise the tradition of indeterminacy in music whilst new commissions from esteemed Australian composers Bozidar Kos and Michael Smetanin explore facets of spectral harmony. Together the works represent a rich and intricate world of microtonal textures and spacious forms.
Prominent musicologist Richard Toop, in his forward to the disc comments:
"In musical terms, it's hard to utter the word ‘Spring' without thinking of Vivaldi's ‘Four Seasons'. But these well-known works are just the first four parts of a bigger collection entitled ‘The Contest between Harmony and Invention'; and if one can reinterpret that, at the start of the 21st Century, as a mutually supportive contest between texture (harmony) and figuration (invention), then it could well serve as a motto for the works gathered on this disc which, in terms of both composition and performance, seems to represent a very welcome new Australian Spring."
Repertoire
• Michael Finnissy Springtime (2003)
• Damien Ricketson Same Steps (2008)
• Christopher Tonkin Widdop Phaeton Relic (2009)
• Michael Smetanin Swell (2008)
• Matthew Shlomowitz Slow Flipping Harmony (2006)
• Bozidar Kos Fatamorgana (2004)
(purchase the disc directly from Curious Noise using paypal)
Fractured Again at Sydney Festival 2010
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We are very excited to announce that this summer will see Ensemble Offspring present our first performance as part of the iconic Sydney Festival. Conceived by Artistic Director, Damien Ricketson, Fractured Again is a fragile and exotic work on the theme of glass that will transform the magnificent Great Hall at The University of Sydney into a unique sonic and visual environment.
Fractured Again features a glass harmonica, a rare musical instrument that fell from favour because it was thought to trigger insanity as well as unique glass instruments designed by Melbourne-based installation artist Elaine Miles. Elaine's glass panels are simultaneously projection surfaces onto which interactive video by Andrew Wholley fuses with electronic music by Pimmon and live clarinet, violin, percussion to create a striking multifaceted performance event.
If you are looking for an original Xmas gift this year, why not treat your friends to an out of the ordinary and memorable experience. Tix are only $30
Thu, Fri, Sat 21-23 January @ 8.30pm
The Great Hall, University of Sydney
Media stories
Exclusive glass harmonica to appear in Great Hall
Richard North, University of Sydney News
Article featuring the glass harmonica
Sydney Festival Preview: A Fine Catch in a Net Cast Wide [the RealTime selection: Sydney Festival 2010]
Keith Gallasch, RealTime Arts
Article providing overview of 2010 festival highlights
Prize flight: a composer's big idea hits the runway
Adam Fulton, Sydney Morning Herlald
Article about the Ian Potter Foundation and their funding of Fractured Again
Fragile ensemble needs to be handled with care
Sydney Morning Herald, 18 Jan, 2010
Article with background information about Fractured Again
Instrument set to be clear favourite
Adam Fulton, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 Jan, 2010
Article about the glassharmoninca
Introducing 2010
So what can you expect from us in 2010? Come and join us as we embrace the new decade with another program of music that we hope will jolt your senses and inspire your mind.
2010 will kick-off with Fractured Again in the Sydney Festival. Fractured Again is a fragile work on the theme of glass that will transform the magnificent Great Hall at The University of Sydney into a unique visual and sonic environment. Conceived by Damien Ricketson the work is a multi-faceted performance experience featuring the rare and angelic-sounding glass harmonica and huge glass panels that illuminate when performed.
As Ensemble-in-Residence at the international ISCM/World New Music Days hear three programs of entirely new music. Our ‘Wealth of Sound' program introduces the latest interactions between acoustic and electronic music, ‘Young and Restless' reveals the most recent international trends with a concert devoted to the under 35s and ‘The World in Sydney' brings together the best from every corner of the globe.
Warm up your winter with Sizzle as we take over three inner-city bowling clubs in a series of cross-genre events. Curated by EO members, Jason Noble, Bree van Reyk and Veronique Serret, hear a startling collation of performances from challenging classical repertoire to popular music to physical theatre with plenty of surprising turns in between.
The year will end with Sounds Absurd where we develop the theatricality of music to the extreme. Presented at the cavernous Carriageworks and featuring the instrumental theatre works of Mauricio Kagel, this radical program promises to be as much physical as it is musical.
With over two dozen premieres performed by an ever-committed group of musicians who gladly take on anything, we look forward to leading you through another exhilarating year of innovative new music in 2010.
2009 in review
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"The creative interpretation of these works conveyed a sense of daring that seemed to be relished by Ensemble Offspring. This was a beautifully curated concert; the material well balanced and standard chamber music conventions interrogated." Simon Charles in relation to Ensemble Offspring's performance of Stockhausen's Tierkreis in Real Time Aug-Sep, 2009
Our 2009 flyer promised an adventurous year in which the spirit of the late Stockhausen would live on. As we close the curtain on our 2009 season we believe we've delivered. With performances of Stockhausen's Kontakte in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Newcastle, we were thrilled to revive this 20th century classic absent from Australian programs since the early 70s. Further Stockhausen included our premiere version of Tierkreis as part of Smart Light Sydney. Described in review as "colourful" and "absorbing" we hope to reperform our peculiar realization of the work in the near future.
Audiences were captivated by the sumptuous sound worlds of French Spectralists Grisey and Murail in our Thirteen Colours program presented in Melbourne and Sydney. The latter was nominated for best chamber performance in the ABC Limelight Awards and described in the Sydney Morning Herald as displaying "considerable intellectual and musical subtlety". We greatly look forward to touring Thirteen Colours in 2010 with performances in Canberra and Adelaide.
To add to this we presented Reich's huge Tehillim in Melbourne, we were ensemble-in-residence at the Totally Huge New Music Festival (Perth) and UWS's Creative Explosion in the West and we had a ball on our Armidale roadtrip where we introduced the locals to Cage, Glass and Zorn.
Origin Cycle with Jane Sheldon
'...bringing the music to points of staggering beauty... What a tone she has.' - Sydney Morning Herald, 2006
Ensemble Offspring is presently in the midst of rehearsals for our last project of the year, the Origin Cycle. It will be the first time that EO has teamed up with the remarkable Australian soprano, Jane Sheldon, for whom this Song Cycle was written.
In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, fragments of this remarkable text have been set to music by Australian composers: Conyngham, Gyger, Kats-Chernin, Neal, Page, Stanhope, Vines, and Walker. The passages of text and their unique musical responses encompass the entire work and capture Darwin's revolutionary insights into the very nature of life on earth.
This tapestry of musical treasures will be performed in the nation's capital at the Australian National University followed by a performance under the huge whale in the foyer of the Australian Museum in Sydney.
CANBERRA PERFORMANCE:
Friday November 13th, 2009 @ 7:00pm
Big Band Room, School of Music, ANU
Free!
SYDNEY PERFORMANCE:
Thursday November 19th, 2009 @ 7:00pm
Australian Museum Foyer, William St entry
Tix: $20/$12
November News 2009
OFFSPRING'S OFFSPRING
We are thrilled to welcome Walter Couchman, the latest addition to the Ensemble Offspring family. Diana Springford, the ensemble's clarinetist, had to miss out on some recent exciting tours, but it was all worth it when Walter entered the world last month. We wish them all good health, happiness and as much sleep as possible.
LIMLIGHT NOMINATION
We were delighted to find out that Ensemble Offspring had been nominated for a Limelight Award in the category of Best Chamber Music Performance for our Thirteen Colours program presented at the Sydney Conservatorium in May. We were the only new music ensemble to be included in the awards. The awards will be announced in early December.
CREATIVE EXPLOSION
In October Ensemble Offspring exploded in the west - namely at the University of Western Sydney. Composer Bruce Crossman made us feel at home at UWS where we recorded new works by the UWS staff, mentored composition and performance students and presented two concerts. The gala concert of staff works was a real highlight of the event with a packed crowd and a huge variety of new music.
Ensemble Offspring in 2009
2009 will be an adventurous year for Ensemble Offspring. The spirit of the legendary Karlheinz Stockhausen lives on in this year's program with an innovative series of events that span electronica to spectral music and flexible forms to multimedia performances. We look forward to engaging, entertaining and challenging the way you think about music in 2009. Highlights include:
Tehillim - Ensemble Offspring and Halcyon join forces to present Steve Reich's Tehillim - an ecstatic vibrant work celebrating the biblical psalms.
Kontakte - The godfather of electronic music, Karlheinz Stockhausen, meets the latest in electronica with guest sound-artist Pimmon.
Thirteen Colours - A delicate immersion of the senses based on light and sound spectra featuring rarely heard works by Gérard Grisey, Tristan Murial and John Luther Adams.
Zodiac - Twelve sublime melodies representing the zodiac signs are the basis for a striking staged version of Stockhausen's Tierkreis.
Open Music - An eclectic selection of 20th century classics designed to elicit a multitude of interpretations including works by Philip Glass, John Zorn and John Cage.
Creative Explosion in the West at UWS - The rich multiculturalism of Western Sydney inspires a unique project involving improvisation, electronica and Asian instruments.
For the latest information go to our current events
A Workout for the Ears
Ensemble Offspring promises you a night to remember with their last show of the year, To The Max. From whispered clarinet tones to over-amplified drones, Ensemble Offspring will test your hearing with a selection of works at opposite ends of the decibel spectrum on Wednesday 10th December at 7pm.
As you arrive you will be ushered in small groups into the depths of the Carriageworks to experience simultaneous intimate performances. The first 50 people to book tickets will also find themselves led to a ‘secret' performance in one of the dressing rooms. Beauty Boxes by Melbourne artist Rosemary Joy features delightful handcrafted boxes of miniature percussion that have been created especially with Ensemble Offspring percussionists Claire Edwardes and Bree Van Reyk, in mind. These up close and personal performances are complimented by Morton Feldman's delicate classic King of Denmark where percussion instruments are caressed delicately with the hands and fingers. The pianissimo theme will continue with Helmut Lachenmann's famous reinvention of the clarinet in Dal Niente (Out of Nothing), whilst in John Cage's Cheap Imitation you will hear the violinist performing with slack bow-hair.
For the second half of To the Max, expect the volume to be cranked up. Michael Smetanin will warm the stage with his new work Swell before Louis Andriessen's raucous Workers Union, a blustering rant for any group of loud sounding instruments. The night will conclude with Phill Niblock's droning instrumental tones bursting from all angles and accompanied by multiple projected images of The Movement of People Working. You are free to move around the giant Bay 20 performance space to gain your own perspective on this full-on audio-visual spectacle.
You will also experience a new exhibition by artist Jack Randell. Fish Dog Wood presents a hybrid intersection of video, photography, painting and drawing, which bring multiple ways of looking onto a single plane. Download exhibition media kit>
Melbourne Boys Win Sibelius Composer Awards
Melbourne lads stole the limelight in the national Sibelius Composer Awards at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on Sunday 26th October, which drew over 100 entrants from across Australia. Jackson Sweeney, just 16 years of age took out the Secondary Schools award for his dark and dramatic work Delusional Mind and Jesse McVeity (19) won the Tertiary section for his intriguing use of texture and momentum in Luminous Patterns. The winners were handpicked by some of Australia's most esteemed composers - Katy Abbott, Damian Barbeler, Anne Boyd, Paul Grabowsky, Matthew Hindson, Andrea Keller, Graeme Koehne, James Morrison and Ensemble Offspring.
Jesse and Jackson, together with the other finalists Liam Kemp (who took out the 'Audience Choice' award for his work Control), Liane Papantoniou (SynchronCity) and Chie Tsang Lee (Autumn's Rain) witnessed the world premiere of their works by Ensemble Offspring at the Sydney Conservatorium and recorded for delayed broadcast by ABC Classic FM. For Jackson it was the first time he'd had any of his compositions performed by a professional ensemble on a professional stage. The Melbourne winners took home up to $2,000 cash alongside an entire home studio - including professional audio editing software, mics, top-of-the-range speakers and the latest version of Sibelius music notation software to the value of $10,000.
The Sibelius Awards also saw the world premiere of the work of the inaugural winner of the Sibelius Emerging Composer Commission, Peter McNamara. Peter McNamara has garnered much local and international attention for his composition Landscape of Diffracted Colours, which was performed at the 2007 Asia Pacific Festival in Wellington, New Zealand and also by the world famous Ensemble Modern in Europe.
Stepping Stones education resource
Stepping Stones is a new education resource for senior secondary and tertiary music students developed by Ensemble Offspring and Sibelius and published by the Australian Music Centre. The kit is comprised of in-class and take-home activities including listening, performing, composing and analysis.
The first section is an investigation of a recent work, Same Steps, by the Australian composer Damien Ricketson. The analysis focuses on the concept of the open-form in contemporary classical composition and introduces students to many new musical devices such as unconventional musical notation and the use of microtones. Practical activities and further listening complement the analysis.
The second section investigates the works of the four student finalists from the 2007 Sibelius Composer Competition. A series of related composition activities (provided on CD ROM) contain especially designed Sibelius tasks for students to use as a springboard for compositional creativity and to familiarise themselves with notation software. The World of Sibelius Demo Version is included in the kit.
Stepping Stones is available for purchase from the Australian Music Centre (ph. 1300 651 834). Retail price: $85 / AMC member price $76.50
Special package offer
Secondary school teachers who purchase Stepping Stones can send their students to:
- ATTEND a FREE open rehearsal with Ensemble Offspring: 1pm to 5pm Saturday 25th October at MLC School, Rowley Street, Burwood
- RECEIVE $10 DISCOUNT TICKET PRICE to the Awards Concert at 3pm Sunday 26th October at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Macquarie Street, Sydney. (Normal price $35/$20).
After you purchase the kit from the Australian Music Centre your details will be passed to Ensemble Offspring for discount ticketing.
For further information on Stepping Stones, contact the Australian Music Centre: info@amcoz.com.au. For further information on how to enter the 2008 Sibelius Composer Awards contact Sibelius: infoAU@sibelius.com. For further information on the open rehearsal at MLC Burwood (25th October) and the 2008 Awards Concert at the Sydney Conservatorium (26th October), contact Ensemble Offspring directly.
Sibelius Composer Awards 2008
Sibelius and Ensemble Offspring are excited to announce the Sibelius Composer Awards for 2008. The awards are a national competition for secondary and tertiary students with a new category for emerging composers.
The Sibelius Student Composer Awards 2007 were a huge success and attracted over 200 entries from secondary and tertiary students throughout Australia. The superb works submitted by 2 winners and 2 runners-up and a very high standard of entries overall are testimony to a wealth of young musical talent in Australia.
The finalists in this year's competition will receive prizes of cash, opportunities and music technology products from leading Avid Audio brands Sibelius, Digidesign and M-Audio. The finalists will also receive a public performance by Ensemble Offspring which will be broadcast nationally by ABC Classic FM.
Secondary and Tertiary applicants are to write an original work scored for 3-5 instruments from the following:
- Bb clarinet and/or bass clarinet (one performer)
- Violin
- Cello
- Guitar (acoustic or electric)
- Percussion (Tuned percussion: marimba (5 octave), crotales (2 octaves), vibraphone, glockenspiel. Un-tuned percussion: drums (not kit), cymbals, woodblocks etc. This noted, percussion should be kept to a minimum and easily playable by 1 performer. Bigger and more unusual instruments such as tubular bells, large pitched gongs and timpani are NOT to be included.)
Please visit the Sibelius website for the full details: http://www.sibelius.com/AusComposerAwards
Competition correspondence should be directed to: infoAU@sibelius.com
Ensemble Offspring in 2008
Change the way you think about music
Sydney's pioneers of new and innovative music, Ensemble Offspring, bring you another year of striking musical experiences. With a reputation for unique events and refined performances, Ensemble Offspring has established itself as one of Australia's leading voices for fresh forms of classical music. In 2008 Ensemble Offspring promises to stimulate your curiosity with an engaging series of events that will change the way you think about music.
In 2008 Ensemble Offspring will present the following projects:
A Line Has Two
The critically acclaimed sonic-literary spectacle by composer Damien Ricketson and renowned poet Christopher Wallace-Crabbe returns to the stage alongside a new prelude that revives a forgotten musical language In God's Esperanto.
Event dates:
13th May Canberra International Music Festival
17th May Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney
view more >
Waiting To Turn Into Puzzles
A cinematic experience with live music combining Louise Curham's hand-processed super8 films with David Young's beautiful microscopic musical vocabulary.
Event dates:
25th June, Chauvel Cinema, Sydney
26th June Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne
view more >
Sibelius Young Composer Awards
A celebration of the newest of new music with a nationwide competition for composers of secondary and tertiary institutions. Hear what lies around the corner for Australian music.
Event date:
26th October Sydney Conservatorium
view more >
To the Max
Six works explore opposite ends of the decibel spectrum. From whispered clarinet tones to over-amplified drones, this performance promises to test the thresholds of hearing.
Event date:
10th December Carriageworks
view more >
Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW.
Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, Its Arts funding and advisory body.